HORTUS
LOCATION
MANTOVA, LOMBARDIA
SECTOR
JOB PLACEMENT OF VULNERABLE CATEGORIES, SOCIAL AGRICULTURE
YEAR OF INVESTMENT
2023
Hortus is a type B social cooperative established in 2016 that operates in the area of Mantova and province and deals mainly with fruit and vegetable production in the field and greenhouse.
Hortus started in 2014 from a project carried out by Caritas and Diocese of Mantova volunteers to offer a form of proactive charity to people in a condition of severe marginality. In 2015, Hortus voluntary association onlus was born. Initially, the main activity consisted of growing vegetables and fruits, both outdoors and in greenhouses. Later, thanks to the concession of a community kitchen by Caritas, the activity of processing fresh produce into preserves and ready meals was started.
Finally, in 2016, Hortus cooperativa sociale onlus was founded with the aim of providing the project with a legal structure that would allow the commercialization of the products. Over the years, the cooperative has increasingly elaborated its activities, starting from simple agricultural cultivation and coming to elaborate and offer its products to different customers and markets.
Restart Italia’s support is aimed at fostering the development of the new projects that would enable the increase of production capacity (purchase of a store van, development of apps for selling products, purchase of kitchen equipment).